Amy Hunder. (Photo Source: Cricket Ireland)
DUBLIN – Cricket Ireland have named the Under-19 women’s squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against South Africa in South Africa Under-19.
The series is an important part of the build-up for the squad ahead of the 2025 Under-19s Women’s T20 World Cup, to be held in Malaysia from January 18 to February 2. All of the matches will take place at the Groenkloof Oval in Pretoria, with the team based at the University of Pretoria throughout the trip.
Glenn Querl, Ireland Under-19s Women’s Head Coach said: “This tour to South Africa provides another great opportunity for the Under-19s group to showcase their skills and potentially secure a spot on the plane for the 2025 Under-19s T20 Women’s World Cup. It also allows the team to maintain the momentum gained from their successful trip to the National Schools Games in England at the end of August. The more games these players participate in against high quality opposition, the better prepared they will be for future challenges. The upcoming tour is particularly exciting for the girls as they will be returning to Pretoria, where some of them have previous experience from the 2023 Under-19s T20 World Cup held in South Africa. This tour will enable the team to experiment with different combinations and refine their strategies for the upcoming tournament in Malaysia. We are grateful to Cricket South Africa for their collaboration in making this possible and are eagerly looking forward to it.”
National Talent Pathway Manager, Albert van der Merwe, added: “Not only will this tour help with preparation for the World Cup, but it will hopefully add to the players’ long-term development. The goal is always to produce players for the senior national squads and tours like these go a long way in creating experiences and testing players for what hopefully becomes international careers. It is an exciting time for women’s cricket in Ireland and I think recent results at senior level reflects the work done by Ed Joyce and his team and it has also showcased the exciting young talent coming through our pathway.
FIXTURES
28 October 2024: South Africa U-19 Women v Ireland U-19 Women (1st T20I; Groenkloof Oval, start 9:30am*).
28 October 2024: South Africa U-19 Women v Ireland U-19 Women (2nd T20I; Groenkloof Oval, start 2:00pm*).
30 October 2024: South Africa U-19 Women v Ireland U-19 Women (3rd T20I; Groenkloof Oval, start 2:00pm*).
1 November 2024: South Africa U-19 Women v Ireland U-19 Women (4th T20I; Groenkloof Oval, start 9:30am*).
1 November 2024: South Africa U-19 Women v Ireland U-19 Women (5th T20I; Groenkloof Oval, start 2:00pm*).
*Time local to venue
Ireland squad
Amy Hunter (captain), Abbi Harrison, Niamh MacNulty (vice-captain), Aimee Maguire, Lara McBride, Kia McCartney, Ellie McGee, Julie McNally, Lucy Neely, Freya Sargent (vice-captain), Millie Spence, Annabel Squires, Alice Tector, Alice Walsh
Coaching and support staff: Glenn Querl (Head Coach), Albert van der Merwe (Assistant Coach), Kathryn Rough (Team Manager), Stuart Thompson (Strength & Conditioning), Anri Coetzee (Physiotherapist).